It's Not My Job to Save the World

I just made an unfortunate but liberating realization.

I technically didn’t QUITE finish Gabrielle Bernstein’s May Cause Miracles – I still had the rest of the final chapter. I’ve been looking back at it slowly over the past couple weeks, and the timing is working out perfectly. Today I read the section about changing from a “me” mentality to a “we” mentality; getting out of your own head when you are trying to help others; removing yourself from the belief that you alone can save the world.

I’m sure you can tell from some of my last posts that I definitely had that feeling. Honestly, I still do!

However, I made a small realization. I have this friend who is so ridiculously different from me. He is practically the inverse of me, except that he still has manners, like I do. Our differences get us into a lot of trouble with one another, yet somehow we’ve been able to maintain an element of respect that keeps us going. I’ve been figuring him out more and more, and applying some of his extroverted tricks with my own twist to them. Obviously, me being the way I am, I feel like I know exactly where all his “issues” are and I feel like I can help him. I feel like it is my job to help free him from some of the issues I see. In fact, he’ll even admit I’ve helped him a great deal.

But that’s not my job. I have to let go. And besides that, no. I can’t. I can’t help him.

When I said that to myself, I believed it, and I felt this sinking feeling.

Forgive me if I sound arrogant here, but it’s not that I don’t have all the information and enlightenment within me to help him. I do. It’s just that he and I speak completely different languages (figuratively). I can’t word things in a way that will resonate with him, at least without a lot of time and effort. I just do not have that capability, and vice versa. At times I have a little bit, but more often than not, no. I think I’ve finally accepted that. I mean, I know you can’t teach people beyond their level of understanding. And that’s not to say he isn’t intelligent, that’s not what I mean. He’s figured some things out that I haven’t, and I’ve figured some things out that he hasn’t. Hence I’ve been picking him apart and understanding him better while at the same time learning how to grow myself in certain ways. But a lot of things I say to him just don’t land anywhere. And it never upset me or anything, but I felt like it was my duty to keep trying. If I didn’t show him the light I was now experiencing, who would? Isn’t it my duty to spread love and light? Isn’t it my duty to help him?

It’s not. This is not up to me. This is not my job. I can’t help him. I CAN’T help him. My perspective is TOO different from his. I cannot put words together that resonate with him. Not right now, at least. This is NOT MY RESPONSIBILITY.

There’s that sinking feeling. And yet, it is liberating. Freeing. There is the change from the “me” mentality to the “we” mentality. I am not the savior of the world. It is not up to me to save everyone. Let him have his own journey. I’ve influenced it enough. I have. I’ve been a positive force in his life. Just leave it at that. Continue to lead by example, and give input when necessary, but that’s it.

I know this is small, but I believe this will open me up to the “we” mentality in a broader sense. Not yet. I still feel like I can save the world. But I’m accepting that I should let go of my friend in this way, and I think time will allow me to understand the balance as it applies to the rest of the Uni-verse.

This is good. This is a good next step for me.